Do You Suffer from Arachnophobia?
Arachnophobia or the fear of spiders is the oldest and most common phobia in the Western culture.
The word Arachnophobia is derived from the Greek word 'arachne' meaning spiders.
The response to spiders shown by an arachnophobic individual may seem irrational to others and often to the sufferer himself.
It is such a pity that so many have this fear.
Spiders have so much to give
- House spiders feed on common indoor pests such as clothes moths, cockroaches, earwigs, mosquitoes, flies and more, and look at why this is such a good thing!
- Clothes moths and larva: Helping to protect expensive clothing especially when made of wool.
- Cockroaches: Far from harmless, roaches spread diseases that can lead to serious illnesses.
- Earwigs: Often an accidental invader in your home, it an produce a foul odor.
- Mosquitoes: These spread more diseases than any other flying insects.
- House Flies: They can carry up to 41 different diseases affecting humans. The lovely habits of flies include landing on feces, vomiting on it with digestive enzymes, stamping it into the feces with its feet to make a mushy mess which it then sucks up before flying on to human's food - with all those diseases on its feet.
- Fleas: These blood suckers can cause misery to humans and pets alike.
- Horseflies: They can be responsible for painful and very itchy bites, leaving a wound that can be prone to infections.
- Roaches: They are far from harmless, spreading diseases that can lead to serious illness.
- Silverfish: These are considered a nuisance pest, causing property damage by chewing holes in clothing, upholstery and any items made of paper - such as wallpaper or books.
Top 8 tips to prevent spiders in your home
- Pure peppermint oil is strong and the smell acts as a repellent to spiders and other intruders too. Dilute peppermint oil with some water to make it go further and to make it less irritating to the skin. Another tip is to soak cotton balls with peppermint essential oil and place them strategically throughout your house.
- Other essential oils you can use include Lavender Oil or Tea Tree Oil.
- Natural spider repellent spray recipe using 1 cup apple cider vinegar; 1 teaspoon oil; 1 cup pepper; and 1 teaspoon liquid dish soap.
- Spiders love clutter and hiding places! Keeping the house clean and free of clutter and cobwebs is a natural remedy for spiders. A further tip is to remove vegetation in the yard close to the perimeter of your home, creating a spider-free zone.
- The smell of cedar wood is something that spiders are not too keen on. Use and maintain a good quality cedar oil or cedar wood and that you maintain it.
- Citrus has deep acetic acid properties that spiders dislike. Use a citrus essential oil (by mixing a few drops with water in a spray bottle and spray throughout your home) or rub left-over citrus peels on doorways, window sills, baseboards and more.
- Horse chestnuts can be place in strategic points in the home or in bowls to keep spiders away.
- Check your home for cracks as for a spider to be in your home, they have to find a way in. As my own home has windows open most of the year around, there are always going to be spiders inside. But if you don't want them in, you are going to have to find and fill any gaps.
Written by Jane Chitty
Jane writes for Healing Natural Oils, a producer and retailer of high-quality, all-natural treatments for a variety of conditions as well as a range of beauty products. Apart from writing about those various conditions, she also covers general health, environmental and other subjects of interest. She has lived in Kenya as well as Cape Town, South Africa and spent time in San Diego, USA. She now lives in Somerset, England with regular visits from her far-flung children and grandchildren. She is a keen gardener and enjoys growing fresh fruit and vegetables with her husband on their joint allotment. As a result, there is something available to use in the kitchen virtually all year round. Her regular posts can be found on our blog.